Since I had to order a melting dessert at the same time as I ordered my savory sandwich, I thought I needed no other excuses to eat dessert first (obviously). But after taking a few bites of the dessert flauta (think more like a frozen, elongated whoopie pie, rather than one of the denser toll house ice cream sandwiches), the aroma of my pollo frito flauta (I think it was the brava sauce…) overtook me. So midway through my ice cream sandwich, I switched to savory (and confirmed that food trucks can in fact serve high quality, perfectly crispy fried chicken!). . . and then returned to my ice cream sandwich before it melted away.

Yum.

My co-worker H ordered the butifarra, and also really enjoyed her pick.

butifarra "burger" | Spanish pork burger with alioi and brava sauce

A word to the wise: when eating the sandwiches, to minimize mess and the loss of delicious morsels, it’s best to keep the sandwiches in their precisely wrapped paper with one end open, and peel down the paper as you go.

Of course, the line at Pepe forms quickly, but the duration between ordering and having your named called is impressively short. Can’t wait to make my way through the rest of Pepe’s menu!

I love that it’s located in an alley (off 9th Street, between N and O Streets) in the Shaw neighborhood. I love that it is a converted garage. I love the attention to detail in every nook of the space. I love the handwritten menu boards. I love that its owners live in the neighborhood. I love its commitment to local ingredients and green practices.

Oh, and I love the sandwiches.

SUNdeVICH offers global-inspired sandwiches with BOLD flavors on a distinctly crusty baguette. So far, my favorite is the Kinsgton — Jamaican jerk chicken, pineapple salsa, greens, slaw, and garlic mayo. The spicy jerk spices are perfectly balanced with the sweet salsa and garlicky mayo. The Saigon is milder but also a flavorful and solid choice. The steak in the Buenos Aires is mouthwatering.

I may have to tote my SLR with me on another visit for higher quality photos to do the sandwiches justice, but for now, the iPhone camera pics offer a preview:

Chinatown-Penn Quarter has slowly but surely established itself as a foodie haven in D.C. Jose Andres’ Zaytinya, Oyamel, Cafe Atlantico (temporarily America Eats), and Jaleo were among the first gourmet bites to settle the once desolate frontier, and the blended Chinatown-Penn Quarter neighborhood has slowly but surely become home to some of the best restaurants in the District.

As soon as this weekend, another culinary great, Michel Richard, will be opening doors in Chinatown-Penn Quarter. Next door to Luke’s Lobster, Michel Richard’s newest addition to the D.C. food scene will be a casual eatery dedicated to meatballs. The food blogosphere is buzzing about what Meatballs will offer. Aside from serving meatball grinders, pastas, and salads, Meatballs will also be a one-stop shop for Sunday dinner. From Eater D.C.:

On Sunday evenings, Meatballs will offer a special in which you can get a full meal — meatballs, sauce, pasta, bread and salad — that’ll feed 8-10 people for $79.99. It’ll come served in Richard’s new line of cookware and, if you bring the pot back another Sunday night for a refill, the price drops to a mere $59. Recycling!

HuffPo reports that Meatballs will employ a mystery master baker for its bread:

The Huffington Post followed up with a source close to the project, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The bread (available garlic-style or plain) will be baked by a “master baker” who is “arguably top three or four in the world.” This mystery baker has apparently come out of retirement for the job, and Meatballs will be his or her only client. The rolls allegedly have a firm outside texture, but “the interior is almost that of a cloud.”

At Taylor Gourmet, the Market Street hoagie is indisputably my favorite — house roasted pork, roasted red peppers, arugula, and fresh mozzarella on a “old world Italian loaf with sesame seeds.” I’m not sure what traditionally characterizes an old world Italian loaf, but Taylor’s bread strikes the perfect balance of crustiness and chew. Equally important, filling the bread are generous portions of fresh veggies and, as its name suggests, gourmet protein. Normally, it’s hard to justify a sandwich with one piece of iceburg lettuce and a slice of tomato as a healthy serving of “vegetables,” but there is no shortage of greens on the Market Street hoagie.

The first couple times I went to Taylor, I ordered a 6″ hoagie for a meal. An amateur move. At $7.10 before tax, the 6″ gourmet hoagie is reasonably priced until you realize that for $2.40 more, you can double your yield with a 12″ hoagie. At $10+change after tax, that brings the cost down to $5 per meal, assuming you are able to restrain yourself from eating the second half (or are willing to share with a deserving soul :)).

This summer, one of my friends changed the way I view gas station food marts when he told me about Fast Gourmet, the hidden but Yelp-loved sandwich shop inside the Lowest Prices gas station at 14th and W NW.

Yes, inside the gas station.

Honestly, I probably would not have agreed to go if not for the fact it was proposed as a post-night on U Street destination. I’d walked/driven by the gas station countless times, but I never noticed the sign above what I assumed was the attached convenience mart.

Inside the mart is unlike any gas station I’ve ever seen. It was bright, clean, and had plenty of seating. Neatly printed chalkboard menus above the cash registers offer a mix of traditional American diner/deli menu items, but the standouts are the Latin-themed items, such as the cubano, empanadas, and chivito, which is (according to Wiki) a national dish in Uruguay.

I haven’t had other chivitos to compare, but Fast Gourmet’s version of the sandwich includes beef tenderloin, mozzarella, black forest ham, bacon, green olives, hard boiled eggs, escabeche, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and a soft bun. Delicious is an understatement. And I’m pretty sure my assessment would be the same at 3 PM as it was at 3 AM.

chivito | fast gourmet | U Street

Of course, I substituted the regular fries for sweet potato fries, and they are also worth writing home about. Not overfried, greasy, or soggy. Crisp and well-seasoned with cinnamon and salt.

All photos on 7 potato more, unless otherwise indicated, are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of 7 potato more.